Rating: 4/5 – The Quality in Soule’s Writing Speaks for Itself!
by ComicSpectrum reviewer Hank Johnson.
Since I was a kid picking up comics on the spinner racks at the local 7-11, I have always loved team books. I’d usually only have a dollar or two to spend but in the pages of West Coast Avengers or X-Men I’d get more than my money’s worth of heroes. The only deviation from my youthful buying strategy is when I saw that the Inhumans were being featured in a book. There was something cool to me about a king who couldn’t talk, a queen with prehensile hair, and a dog that could teleport you anywhere; it just fascinated me. There have been great Inhumans limited series (especially the Marvel Knights run) and writer Hickman also used them very effectively during his run on the Fantastic Four. However, most of these takes seemed more insular in their approach to the characters.
This new series is a little bit of a different spin from your usual Inhumans story. Instead focusing on the Inhumans royalty themselves, it focuses on a human affected by the Terrigen Bomb during the Infinity crossover coming to grips with his new found powers and his new role in the larger Inhuman community. Charles Soule’s writing in this book is so good, it borders on criminal. The Inhumans themselves are portrayed perfectly. Despite the almost 2 month gap between issues, I was able to quickly get back up to speed and did not miss a beat. I also liked how Soule is slowly introducing characters allowing both established comic fans and new readers to garner the same level of enjoyment from the issue. What I liked best is how Soule was able to capture the character Medusa perfectly. In one particular scene in the book Medusa is in the process of accepting an envoy. Soule’s use of dialogue brilliantly captured her complicated mix of regality and humanity.
Soule’s writing and plotting on this issue coupled with his exceptional work on the latest incarnation of She-Hulk and Letter 44 (from Oni Press), has clearly made him a creator I’m going to be watching in the coming years. Soule has a distinct talent to take the capes and tights heroes and ground them without making them dark or gritty. It is some of the most refreshing work I have read in a long time. Joe Madureira’s art, on the other hand, was a bit too stylistic for me to enjoy. While Madureira did a good job with storytelling and action, some of the facial expressions just seemed off to me. His art didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book, but didn’t enhance it either.
After viewing all of the evidence, I can make a summary judgment that Inhuman is an exceptional book and well worth the cover price. While the art is not to my particular taste, Charles Soule has a great handle on these characters and the Inhuman royal family is in good hands. While there is periculum in mora considering the pace of the first two issues, I think the strength of Soule’s writing will carry the day and minimize any impact.
Reviewed by: Hank Johnson
(hank@comicspectrum.com)
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